Hey Baby, I think I wanna marry you
by LadyTardisOfHogwarts
Summary: End of 7th Year, and James has to get a few things of his chest, much to Sirius' annoyance. One of these things might involve marrying Evans. Panic and hysteria ensue on all sides. James/Sirius friendship, and Lily/James feelings.


NEWTS were fast approaching for the Seventh years at Hogwarts. The common room and study rooms seemed quieter - even including the usually disruptive Gryffindor boys. Although James and Sirius never studied until the week before exams, they had accepted over the years that not everyone could breeze top marks so easily. Having been abandoned by their respective better halves, James and Sirius lay on their beds in their empty Common Room.

'Does nobody love us anymore?' Sirius sighed out, staring morosely at the ceiling. James snorted appreciatively, staring; equally depressed. Sirius took a deep breath, and continued, 'Have my good looks wilted? Has everyone had enough of my charm in this hour of madness?' he rambled on.

'They're all off snogging books in the library.' James said distractedly.

'Sounds like Moony alright; illicit affairs in the library with books and...whatnot.' Sirius muttered, and James laughed half-heartedly. Then James sighed pronouncedly.

Following this, there was a long silence, in which James breathed out heavily several times, as though he had lost to ability to communicate with actual words, and wanted only to convey severe agony with sighs and moans. Sirius raised an eyebrow from his own bed, but no explanation was provided. James' anguish was getting louder, more desperate - he continued, however, to stare up at the ceiling. Sirius groaned, the exhalations of woe now coming to a breaking point. He knew his duty as the best friend, and he knew just who James was thinking about when he grew so alarmingly contemplative - but Sirius just didn't want to ask (stigma, possibly, about being replaced). James finally let out a huge heave and pulled the pillow from beneath his head, and buried his face in it.

'Oh _CHRIST_, James, just spit it out!' Sirius cried, now sitting up - all pretence of blissful silence officially broken. 'Honestly, mate, I'm not sure - but I get the impression something's on your mind!' At this, James sat up too, and threw his pillow down on the floor, for a lack of words. He stared at Sirius, glasses askew from the pillow, and hair messier than could have ever been considered fashionable. Beneath a mop of hair and wonky spectacles, his brown eyes were hugely troubled.

'Oh...it's...' James began tentatively, 'It's...'

'Evans.' Sirius finished briskly, but not unkindly.

'Sirius, it's always Evans now! Bloody Lily; she never leaves my head.' James began to pull at clumps of his hair, 'Her bloody red hair, her bloody soft head in my lap, her bloody green eyes, her bloody, _bloody_ mole right by her - '

'Prongs! Spare me the details!' Sirius screwed his face up at the thought of 'Bloody Lily' moles and their whereabouts.

'Sirius!' James wailed in despair, now slowly advancing from his own bed towards Sirius', looking more unhinged than, Sirius noted, James on Gillyweed. James had been in love for 2 years now, and Sirius hadn't yet decided how much fun he was having with James-in-love. James flopped beside Sirius, who budged unwillingly to the left.

'Sirius, I love her so much.' came a shaky voice near Sirius' shoulder.

'I know, mate, I know.' Sirius patted James' messy head sympathetically, albeit wearily. He remembered the first time he and James had discussed this matter all too well; Sirius had patiently listened at the time, and immediately sulked to Remus.

'But I haven't seen her for 3 days...and over the weeks, I've been thinking.' James began drawing himself up to Sirius' height.

'Oh Merlin...'

'No, really, I have. Proper girl-style feeling-thoughts. Sirius, don't you worry about what's coming? What we're going to be doing in a couple of weeks, once we've left school?' Sirius frowned at this.

'What, careers and such like? Housing? I thought we decided that Aurors...' he began.

'No! No - well, yes. Auror - but no, _why Aurors_?' James was tearing at his hair again. 'I mean, Jesus, Sirius! There's some sort of a fucking war coming.' James' voice broke a little bit. Sirius stared at him, and then nodded slowly.

'Yes, there is...' he responded finaly.

'Alice's cousin has gone missing, did you know? And that McMillon kids' brother is dead - '

'James...'

'A _fucking_ war, and I _bloody love_ her!' James was trying to muster a calm voice, but he had pulled out a fair few hairs, and this caused hysteric squeaks.

Sirius waited for James - he hadn't seen him like this for way long time. James was Head Boy, he was the rational one (though, still second to Moony) - and yet, there were bits of James hair flying around. Sirius looked at James, who was breathing quickly and kneading and pulling his hair, as though he had suddenly decided that there was far too much of it.

'I know, James.' Sirius said slowly, taking James' hand down from his head and resting it by his side, 'I really know.'

At present, James' breathing became less shallow, and his lanky frame was steady. Then he looked at Sirius, something of the Prongs in his eyes. They sat, momentarily in silence.

'I think I'm going to ask her to marry me.' James said finally.

This statement was followed by a lengthy pause, and Sirius' eyes widened in alarm. Then he was quickly calm again.

'Shut up James, what is it actually?' he elbowed James lightly in the ribs. Silence was an uncomfortable reply.

'Really, James... what is it? Come on! Fun and games over, James...' he paused, 'Prongs... what were...you...going...to - _Oh god_! ' Sirius broke off, and James squeezed his eyes shut - he had been dreading this. Now it was Sirius' turn to splutter and tear and squeak.

'You're mad, you what, oh _HA HA_ James, good one!' Sirius cackled manically. James wanted to laugh, but he wasn't too sure it was funny.

'I really can't lose her, Padfoot...' James said quietly.

'THAT'S WHY WE CREATED THE MARAUDERS' MAP!' Sirius cried.

Once again James closed his eyes, and then he opened them. 'I need her, Pads. I need to know she's safe and happy and protected - '

'But you're only - '

'She's not a pure blood!' James shouted, cutting Sirius off. 'All of us - we're fine! Well, maybe not Moony what with his, well - but we can fight and we're _fine_. Lily doesn't exactly comply with the Death Eater manifesto.' he finished bitterly. Sirius sank deep into the bed.

'Okay...no, wait, okay.'

James looked at Sirius, who was collapsed on the bed, nodding.

'Well, no, but - ' Sirius looked at James' earnest expression, and thought of everything and everyone he never wanted to lose. _Love - Christ, this is love_ - and Sirius knew it himself. He took a deep breath and looked up at James, 'You so sure Evans is going to say yes, though, Prongs? Or are we going to have to deploy some sort of old school _Marauders-get-the-girl _mission_?_' James breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at Sirius, sinking right down beside him, and shoving the boy off the bed, laughing.


End file.
